Big 12 Power Rankings after Week 12: Deion Sanders' Colorado dominates with big win
The shake up at the top of the Big 12 has arrived. Part of it was a disappointing BYU loss, but Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes are moving on up. The Big 12 is probably looking at a one-team CFP situation, but that doesn't make things any less interesting. Here's how the league stands.
Big 12 Power Rankings after Week 12
#16 Oklahoma State (3-7)
The Cowboys were off this week, but the Big 12's lone team that's eliminated from bowl contention remains at the bottom of the league. It has been a tremendously disappointing season for OSU.
#15 Houston (4-6)
The Cougars had jumped a couple spots but fell back to earth with a 27-3 loss to an Arizona team that we had ranked 15th last week. Houston gets just a 3.6% chance to win the next two by ESPN's FPI.
#14 Utah (4-6)
The Utes at least battled the week before in their loss to BYU. Colorado pretty much dropped the hammer on them. ESPN gives them just over a 1-in-9 shot to win the last two games and reach bowl eligibility.
#13 Arizona (4-6)
The good news for Arizona was a three-score win and avoiding bowl elimination. The bad news is that they're still very unlikely to cobble together six wins and have had a very tough season.
#12 Kansas (4-6)
Back to back weeks of big wins says that maybe there's still some life in this KU team. They found the gumption to shatter BYU's perfect season. FPI puts Kansas's shot at six wins at 22.7%, which isn't great, but has been a massive improvement.
#11 UCF (4-6)
UCF, off this week, still has a very decent chance at winning the last two to end up at .500. If they can beat West Virginia next week, Utah probably won't have much fight left after a cross-country flight in the season's final week.
#10 West Virginia (5-5)
West Virginia's defense got absolutely shredded by Baylor. With UCF and a trip to Texas Tech ahead, FPI makes the Mountaineers about a 2-to-1 favorite to qualify for a bowl game. Neal Brown's job might be hanging in the balance.
#9 Cincinnati (5-5)
The Bearcats had a slightly less ugly loss but are in virtually the same situation as West Virginia. The road game at Kansas State feels a bit more daunting than the home game with TCU as the finale. Either one will get the Bearcats to a bowl.
#8 Texas Tech (6-4)
The Red Raiders were off but slide a couple spots due to some impressive performances from teams that were behind them. It's an inconsistent bunch, and neither 8-4 nor 6-6 would be especially surprising.
#7 TCU (6-4)
The Horned Frogs were off and remain at 6-4. It's a positive season, but a season that will end shy of the top handful of Big 12 teams that are still hoping for a CFP spot.
#6 Baylor (6-4)
The Baylor offense went wild against West Virginia. Baylor should be favored in the final two games, although Kansas is certainly a good bit feistier than they were a few weeks ago.
#5 Kansas State (7-3)
K-State was jumped on early by Arizona State. The good news is that they're still in the echelon of better Big 12 teams. The bad news is that this loss basically ended their CFP hopes entirely. There's four teams with realistic CFP hopes, but the Wildcats aren't one of them.
#4 Iowa State (8-2)
The Cyclones rebounded from a loss to Kansas by taking down Cincinnati. Their playoff hopes are of the long shot variety, but that 10.4% shot at the CFP is still better by miles than the teams behind them in the league standaings.
#3 Arizona State (8-2)
ASU got a quality win at Kansas State and continues to be the league's most surprising team. Picked to finish last in the preseason media poll, the Sun Devils are one of four teams with a shot at the league title and CFP berth. ESPN gives them a 15.8% shot at the playoff.
#2 BYU (9-1)
The Cougars took a tough loss and drop a spot. Their 39.1% playoff shot from FPI is still tops in the league, but the Cougars feel like they've been lucky more than they've been good on the back half of this season.
#1 Colorado (8-2)
Colorado is now tied for tops in the Big 12 standings, and its 36.1% shot at the FPI makes little sense, as ESPN also makes them the favorite to win the Big 12. By whatever metric, Coach Prime's team has mojo to spare heading down the season's stretch.
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